File 3516/1914 Pt 9 'German War: Persia' [‎293v] (591/618)

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Telegram V., No. 643 S., dated the 8 th July 1815.
From—The Secretary to the Government o£ India in the Foreign and Political
Department, Simla,
To—The Hon ; ble the Agent to the Governor-General in Baluchistan, Quetta.
Please refer to Government of India telegram of 2nd July, No. 620 S.
In view of instructions which have been received from His Majesty’s
Secretary of State for India, please inform those Political Officers who are
concerned that on no account are troops, militia or levies to enter Persian
territory without receiving specific sanction to do so. In the event, however,
of any party of Germans crossing frontier into British territory, arrangements
may of course be made to deal with them as proposed in telegram referred to
above.
Telegram P., No. 64t4 S., dated the 8 th July 1915.
From—His Excellency the Viceroy, Simla,
To—His Majesty's Secretary of State for India, London (repeated to His Britannic
Majesty's Minister, Tehran).
Clear the line, Persia. Please refer to your clear the line telegram of
7th July.
On the 6th instant instructions were issued to local authorities in the same
sense and will be repeated. At same time our view of situation in Afghanistan
appears to have been entirely misunderstood by Marling. We have every
reason to distrust popular attitude in Afghanistan, which is pro-Turkish,
fanatical and inflammable to a degree, though we have good reason to believe
in Amir’s sincere desire to maintain neutrality. Presence of German agents
with armed parties in Afghanistan would almost certainly provoke situation
there which would make it doubtful whether the Amir would be in a position
to persevere in his present attitude, and Government of India might be faced
with a position which would strain their resources to fullest extent reacting as
it certainly would on the whole Indian frontier, including Baluchistan. It was
with the object of obviating such a possibility that it was proposed to employ
troops to intercept German parties which might be attempting to cross v'd
Perso-Baluch border into Afghanistan or Sistan in much the same manner as
troops have in the past been used to intercept arms traffic, but Government of
India only proposed this as a last resort. If Persian authorities in interior are
competent to deal with German parties, so much the better. Instructions
which were issued by Government of India to Consul, Kerman, afforded them
every opportunity of doing so and no action in interior of Persia was suggested
by Government of India which was not in consonance with ruFes of
neutrality as hitherto observed. It is only in the event of failure on the part
of local authorities in interior of Persia, that Government of India proposed
drastic action m order to frustrate German attempts to enter Afghanistan
or Bnhsh temtory. We shall be tco late to stop German parties entering
Afghanistan if we wait till Sistan authorities have also failed. Uo to the
present time Persian authorities at Ispahan, Tend and Kerman have not
displayed either inclination or ability to deal with German parties. Reinforce-
ment of Kobat detachment is therefore being proceeded with, and we trust
that instructions may be telegraphed promptly if military action should become
considerable! 311068 f ° r PUrp ° Se ° f parties are
The Government of India are not in a fn wr.™
the possible effect of financial proposals w'hich have Cn^uSard^y
Mr Marling, but instructions have already been issued to Consular oSs at
Bushire, Shiraz and Kerman to spend secret service funds freely to n, lli?v
German activity and are, we believe, being carried out. 7 1 ty
Con stria ^officers ° e!!r nit! n ™ forces or^f thCTe 'LT . question oE the!l '
German parties, but Consular offi’cials will he wrLdagalst doin^so. 8